Aeshna affinis (Blue-eyed Hawker/Southern Migrant Hawker)

First encountered by us in 2012 when we found a male on patrol at the Terres de Picodon, one of the premier locations in the Parc Naturel Régional de la Brenne.

Since 2010, they have been recorded in a couple of site on the UK’s south-east coast, including Wat Tyler Country Park in Essex. Aeshna affinis features in the BDS list but that list doesn’t appear to draw a distinction between truly resident species and migrants. However, it has been seen at Wat Tyler consistently since, as well as at a site in Kent and does seem to be spreading so I’m sure it is now resident.

Id Notes

side of thorax green with fine black markings but males develop blue tinge with age